August 18, 2016 Many thanks to all of my
Opto-Key
customers. I had sold out of Opto-key kits so invested in more parts and have just completed a fresh build of both MIDI and Non-MIDI kits.

I therefore have built and tested kits boxed and ready to go.

Also take a look at the replacement and refurbished MiniMoog cases in the
Parts section.

Welcome to This Old Synth, home of Opto-Key

This Old Synth was created out of our AmpTech guitar and amplifier service
(AmpTech) with a specific focus on vintage analog synthesizers (preferably the ones with knobs on!)
and is now 99.9% of what I'm doing in the shop. More and more vintage synths were being brought in, especially MiniMoog's.
My focus is more and more on vintage Moog, especially the MiniMoog for
which I acquired the sole rights to Synthfool's Opto-key for MiniMoog which
finally solves the key contact problems with this synth. I also do a lot of
vintage Roland synths and drum machines. The focus here is vintage
analog from the 70's.

It seemed like the other repairers were either too backed up or were having too much difficulty fixing certain vintage keyboards, so I stepped up! I'm including drum machines in the vintage synth category, not just keyboards.

I'm avoiding large/heavy synths these days as I have neither the space or
the strength in my back to deal with them. The no list has piano or strung
type keyboards such as the Fender Rhodes, Clavinets, and Wurlitzers, along with Vox and
Farfisa organs. I do not have parts or test machines for the Roland Jupiter
8 / J6 so I'm not taking them in.

Also on the no list are the Moog PolyMoog and MemoryMoog. These suffer so many failures due to
their design and I do not have parts for them. With the PolyMoog its common
to spend a lot of time repairing one only to have it fail with another issue
a week later. I feel I would need a staging/test machine
for each of them in order to support them and I'm not in a position to
purchase them. They are large and need extensive renovation which leaves them on the bench for far too long.

I'm constantly scouting for parts for these machines, and where a unit is beyond economical repair I will offer to buy it as a parts machine. This has the added benefit of being able to supply parts to other repairers, so I have added a parts section for that.

If you look at the Repairs page you can see that I'm covering a vast array of makes and models.
My developing preference is for all things Moog, especially the MiniMoog
for which I have the Opto-Key solution for the unreliable keyboard contacts and
have an excellent source of replacement cases for. I have also worked on
numerous other Moog's including the Rogue, Concertmate MG-1, Opus 3, Source, Prodigy,
MicroMoog, Taurus 1, Taurus II, Sonic 60, Satellite, and a Modular System 55.

The E-Mu Emulator II
was a common item in the shop so I actually
purchased one to support testing etc. These machines are suffering badly
with corroded chip sockets etc. (and there are lot's of them) after being
stored in basements and garages. The EII does not travel well and tracing issues is difficult to say the
least. I decided that with the size of these units swamping the shop, and
repairs not being economical that I would stop taking them in. Sorry!

A snapshot look in the shop
one day revealed that I
had just completed a
Gleeman Pentaphonic, ARP 2600, EMU Emulator II, EMU SP1200, Roland SH-101,
Roland SH-02, Moog Prodigy, and an ARP Solina. A Steiner-Parker Synthacon, and an
Oberheim OB-X had just come in.

I often get asked to look at newer gear but have to decline as I do not have access to parts
(and the electronics are often a card with huge surface mount chips on it which is not serviceable),
schematics etc. For the newer Moog's owners have to ship
their gear back to the factory as there are no authorized service centers. I would like to be a Moog authorized service center but can't,
and that sucks!

My focus is on vintage analog synths, vintage drum machines, and the Roland Space Echo. Vintage here means primarily 1970's,
and this cuts off in the mid 80's.

We are in a throw-away age, but that should not be the default case; spending a little to extend the usable life of a loved
instrument is the "green" thing to do. To find out more about ThisOldSynth see About Us.
Please
contact Chris Hewitt at This Old Synth
(chris@thisoldsynth.com)to discuss your requirements

This Old Synth was created to bring a
reasonably priced vintage synthesizer restoration and repair service to
musicians in the bay area, and is located in Campbell, CA.